Why Mass Shootings Spur Conspiracy Theories

Sadly - and predictably - the mass shooting in San Bernardino earlier this week spawned conspiracy theories. Moments after the news breaking, according to Vocativ.com, conspiracy theorists took to social media to proclaim the event a hoax:

Before anyone knew the death toll, motive or identity of the shooters, many wise Americans were certain that the San Bernardino shooting was orchestrated by the Obama Administration.

News of a shooting in San Bernardino broke at 11:26 PST. Vocativ discovered that literally one minute later, at 11:27 PST, the first Truther posted a #FalseFlag tweet. For the uninitiated ‘sheep' out there, ‘false flag' is a conspiracy-theorist term used to describe a covert government attack against its own citizens. In the first six hours following the massacre, 663 people tweeted about a false-flag attack in San Bernardino.

Shootings and acts of violence have long been grist for conspiracy theorists dating back at least to the 1963 John F. Kennedy assassination. However it has only been in the past few years that mass shootings have been routinely cast as staged "false flag" events designed to provide an excuse for the government – specifically the Obama administration - to declare martial law and confiscate guns from law-abiding citizens.

There are several reasons why mass shootings spur conspiracies. One reason is that conspiracies, once the domain of tinfoil hatted shut-ins, has become mainstream. Popular right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, for example, has huge audiences and been praised by presidential hopeful Donald Trump, who himself has unabashedly employed several conspiracy theories in his political rhetoric - most famously asserting that President Obama is a Muslim whose Hawaiian birth certificate is fraudulent.

The mass shooting conspiracy theories circulate widely because they are used as a vehicle for social protest. In their book "American Conspiracy Theories," Joseph Uscinski and Joseph Parent, both associate professors at the University of Miami, note:

"Conspiracy theories ignite when socialized motive meets political opportunity ... lots of people have conspiracy theories that no one else cares about, and appeals to the most conspiracy-prone people are unlikely to reverberate widely. Therefore, conspiracy theories that involve the biggest groups, biggest gains, and biggest foes will gain the most adherents."

What's at stake, according to many conspiracy theorists, is nothing less than the American way of life.

Politics and Symbolic Truths As American politics becomes more contentious and the cultural divide between Democrats and Republicans becomes wider and more politicized, the conspiracies that each uses to attack the other become more prominent. Many conspiracy theories - especially those involving shootings and government cover-ups - are widely shared because they help promote a specific social or political agenda.

Mass shootings would, at first glance, seem a very unlikely and essentially impossible event to fake. Not only would dozens or hundreds of eyewitnesses, police officers, crisis actors and others be involved (and somehow silenced), but there's the undeniable deaths of real people.

If the whole thing was faked, that means the victims who were living normal ordinary lives until the horrific attacks either somehow never really existed - thus all the employment, school, medical and other records dating back decades were faked, along with their friends and families pretending to have known them. Or they were cynically sacrificed by an evil government who had them killed, with the collusion of hundreds of others – all to provide yet another opportunity to take away guns.

If this all sounds far-fetched, it should. But the literal truth of a given specific conspiracy claim (that Obama was born in Kenya, for example, or that the San Bernardino mass shooting was faked) is far less important to the person sharing it than the larger symbolic "truth" it represents: Obama and/or the U.S. government is a threat to freedom and American civil liberties.The person sharing the conspiracy theory need not even really believe it-and may in fact completely doubt it-but it doesn't matter because it's a symbolic protest.

The indisputable fact that none of the countless faked or "false flag" events over the years have actually resulted in martial law or nationwide gun confiscations doesn't seem to bother conspiracy theorists, who credit their patriotic vigilance with thwarting Obama's plans. Ironically, in the San Bernardino shootings, the emerging picture does indeed point to the attack as an act of conspiracy; the shooting had apparently been planned for weeks or months, and at least three people had a role in arranging it.

Similarly, the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, were without doubt the result of a conspiracy-among Osama bin Laden, the hijackers, and others affiliated with Al Qaeda. Those real-life, proven conspiracies are not only too simple and uninteresting for theorists to believe or share, they also don't help further an agenda.

The shooting deaths of three people near Texas A&M University today, making this the third major act of gun violence in the United States within the past 30 days, is bound to reignite a debate about gun control.
The country was still reeling from the deadly tragedy at a movie theater in Aurora, Colo., which left 12 people dead, and another act of domestic terrorism at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin, leaving seven dead including the shooter.
Colorado, Wisconsin and Texas aren't the only states to have their gun laws come under scrutiny following a shooting tragedy. Other states with even more lax laws have also drawn fire.

The killing of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old high school student who was unarmed at the time, stirred controversy over the application of justice in the shooting.
Florida's gun ownership laws came under scrutiny. George Zimmerman, the 28-year-old shooter and self-described neighborhood watch captain, had a concealed carry permit, easily obtained in the state.
Florida also has laws in place the protect the use of firearms. A 2005 "Stand Your Ground" law allows the use of deadly force if there's the reasonable expectation of a threat, even if the supposed attacker is unarmed.

Following a shooting in Tuscon, Ariz. on Jan. 8, 2011 that left congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords critically wounded and resulted in the deaths of six people, Arizona's gun laws, considered among the nation's most lenient, drew widespread media attention.
The state of Arizona allows anyone over age 21 to not only own a firearm, but also conceal a handgun without needing a permit. In fact, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed a bill in January 2010 repealing a law requiring concealed-carry permits, according to NPR.
Twice already this year, Arizona state lawmakers have considered two bills loosening gun ownership restrictions. One bill brought before the Arizona Senate would have allowed gun owners to carry concealed weapons on university campuses, a measure that stalled because of the controversy that ensued from the idea of allowing guns in schools.
A second bill drafted in the Arizona House would allow gun owners to carry in public buildings, and is "quietly moving toward passage," according to the Arizona Republic.
This photo shows ammunition being sold at the Pima County gun show in 2011 one week after the shooting in Tuscon.

Nearly five years ago, 32 people at Virginia Tech were killed when a mentally ill student went a on a shooting spree before turning the gun on himself.
Virginia's laws are similar to restrictions imposed by other states on gun ownership. The state requires permits for concealed carry, which is subject to a review process.
The state also has a 22-year-old law requiring criminal background checks on gun sales -- a law which the current governor, Bob McDonnell, says he's evaluating in a January interview with the Virginian Pilot.
The state, however, does have what gun control advocates call a major loophole: private dealers may sell firearms at gun shows without a background check. Without a background check, according to gun control proponents, criminals have ready access to weapons at gun shows.
In 2011, an American-born al-Qaeda spokesman even encouraged potential terrorists in a video statement to take advantage of similar loopholes in the United States.
In this photo, mourners hold a vigil following the Virginia Tech massacre.

Mississippi not only has some of the most permissive gun laws of any state; it also has the second-highest number of firearm-related fatalities per 100,000 people.
A new law passed in Mississippi in December 2011 allows residents to carry guns in public places, including "bars, courthouses and college campuses," according to a UPI report.
Mississippi also has highest "export rates" of any state, that is the number of guns sold in Mississippi to criminals who use them in another, according to a study led by a coalition called Mayors Against Illegal Guns.

Mississippi might have the second-highest rate of gun-related fatalities, but Alaska leads the list -- and also has even more lax gun laws than Mississippi.
Nearly 21 people in 100,000 die as a result of a firearm in Alaska.
Like Arizona, Alaska law allows for anyone over 21 to purchase a firearm. The state also permits concealed and open carry.
There are some restrictions in Alaska, however. While Arizona is currently considering a law allowing guns in public buildings, carrying weapons in these areas is prohibited by Alaska laws.
Private business owners also are allowed to use their discretion as to whether they allow firearms in their establishments.

Like its neighbor Arizona, New Mexico's lax gun ownership laws make it a prime location for buying guns for the purpose of interstate arms trafficking.
New Mexico doesn't require permits for purchase, possession or open carry. Concealed carry permits require the completion of a gun safety course.
Weapons used by drug cartels in Mexico often originate in the United States due to the ease with which criminals can buy guns and smuggle them across the border, as reported by CNN. These firearms are usually purchased in border states, like New Mexico.

Montana has limited restrictions on gun ownership, requiring permits only for concealed carry.
In 2009, Montana passed the Montana Firearms Freedom Act (PDF), a bill that challenged federal authority of the state to regulate guns made and sold in Montana. The move proved controversial, and the bill has been tied up in the court system.